AI enters 2026 facing energy bottlenecks, regulatory battles, and a gap between promise and performance. From market corrections to voice assistant limits and physical AI’s unreadiness, hype is meeting reality.

Google Chrome will now autofill users’ loyalty card numbers, travel details, and vehicle information housed in Google Wallet, per a company blog post. Maximizing its utility as a shopping interface is critical as Google Chrome’s browser dominance risks getting eroded by AI tools and browsers like Perplexity’s Comet. If volumes divert to new sources, like the PayPal-linked Comet, Google shoppers could maintain their loyalty in the browser by convenience the tools offer them during their checkout experiences.

Digital audio commands massive attention, and podcasts keep most listeners within reach. As viewing blurs with listening, marketers face an opportunity—but also a widening gap between consumer time spent and the ad investment flowing into audio.

31.2% of consumers have used a mobile wallet in-store as of September—nearly triple the rate three years earlier, per PYMNTS Intelligence report. Apple Pay’s dominance is likely to stick for now, but its lead will narrow as PayPal, Cash App, and Google Pay strategies draw in more users. As wallet competition ramps up, features that help users manage more of their financial—and even non-financial—lives will help providers create stickier wallets that attract more volume. That includes subscription management services, order tracking, and interactive airline and event tickets.

Global ad spending has steadied after a turbulent year, setting the stage for modest acceleration in 2026. Digital is still the main engine, but traditional media’s rebound will add lift as markets stabilize.

Apple debuted Digital IDs derived from iOS users’ US passports, per a press release. The Digital ID is in beta at more than 250 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in the US for domestic flights. Digital IDs can make mobile wallets more useful and encourage users to complete transactions with their phones instead of a card. But adoption will only take off if a critical mass of merchants and airports accept them as a valid form of ID.

OpenAI may build its own consumer health tools, such as a personal health assistant or a product that aggregates users’ health data, per a Business Insider report. A range of healthcare and tech companies—from Verily to wearable makers like Oura and Fitbit—are developing AI-powered health coach and assistant tools. A comparable OpenAI product could immediately threaten existing solutions due to its massive scale, provided it gains access to patient data. However, makers of health-tracking devices and some digital health companies could also be strong partners for OpenAI in creating a product that combines advanced AI with user health data.

Samsung is reportedly in advanced talks with Barclays to develop a co-branded Visa credit card, per the Wall Street Journal. The card’s cash-back rewards would funnel back into cardholders’ Samsung accounts to encourage spending on Samsung products and services. To accelerate users’ adoption of the card, tech companies with payment ambitions should build a flywheel to lock in new consumer spending patterns. By centering rewards and device upgrades to the same credit card and wallet, consumers can find both the products, services, and financing they desire all in one place.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their digital ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their social media ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their total media ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

AppLovin beat expectations again, delivering a blowout quarter that affirmed its place among the most profitable players in adtech. Even as the company faces ongoing scrutiny over data practices and an SEC probe, its financial momentum appears unaffected. AppLovin is proving that controversy doesn’t always kill momentum. Its ability to execute quarter after quarter suggests marketers may be more pragmatic than moralistic, following results over rhetoric.

Fintechs, big tech, and payment players are using genAI to redefine finance. To compete, banks must pair strategic genAI investment with hyper-personalization and human support to earn customer trust and loyalty.

Alphabet subsidiary Verily is launching a free health app offering personalized guidance from clinicians. The Verily Me app will also have an AI agent to answer people’s health questions based on their medical records. Verily’s competitive advantage over bigger companies with brand-name is that it has clinician partners and access to some medical record data. The company should leverage its network of doctors to endorse Verily Me to their patients, using real-world examples to demonstrate the benefit of combining a person’s health history with a medical expert’s view for individualized guidance.

AI adoption is accelerating faster than regulation, reshaping consumer behavior. Younger generations lead the charge for mainstream acceptance, forcing brands to navigate new risks and opportunities in AI-powered content.

Apple is scrapping plans for a next-gen Vision Pro in favor of developing its own smart glasses to compete with Ray-Ban Meta and others. The glasses will “rely heavily” on voice interaction and AI, per Bloomberg—two areas where Apple has been slow to innovate. With Meta already pushing smart glasses, brands that delay adapting risk falling behind in this emerging medium. As input shifts from screen tapping or gestures to voice, marketers need to ensure their brands sound natural in conversational AI environments and that website data is optimized for voice SEO and consistent brand tone.

The EU is investigating whether Apple, Google, and Microsoft are doing enough to curb online financial scams, per Ars Technica. The European Commission (EC) will send formal requests for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA), targeting fake apps, fraudulent search results, and scam accommodation listings on Booking.com. Ad campaigns appearing in search results, mobile apps, or Bing ads could face more scrutiny or be caught up in regulatory nets. Brands that lead with transparency and consumer protection will not only comply, but also gain an edge should platforms tighten controls.

iOS 26 widening Apple Wallet’s functionality for travel; digital ID; order tracking; buy now, pay later (BNPL); and credit card information, per an article by 9to5Mac. iOS 26’s updates make physical wallets redundant. With digital ID, credit cards, and essential tickets all located in one app, consumers only need their phones to move through the world.

Amazon is developing two models of AR glasses to compete with Meta and Qualcomm in a bet that smart glasses could power the next wave of mainstream consumer devices. The company is planning a consumer version, internally named Jayhawk, and a model designed for delivery drivers, called Amelia, per The Information. The push in AR glasses reflects Amazon’s long-standing strategy of building hardware as a gateway to services and subscriptions. If successful, the device could lock consumers even more tightly into Amazon’s marketplace, collect constant user data for AI model and product improvement, and encourage daily engagement with Amazon platforms.